Barry Streek
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has a shortage of 7E000 personnel and 371 vehicles, according to Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete.
It will need an extra R7,8-million to hire the personnel and R471,5-million to finance the vehicles, Tshwete said in reply to a question tabled in the National Council of Provinces by Piet Matthee (New National Party). He added it would cost R25,2-million to pay for backlogs in computers and networks, and R60-million to make up for the shortage of general equipment.
The most serious shortages of police officers are in Gauteng and KwaZulu- Natal, which both need 1E061 police officers, while in the Western Cape the figure is 906 and in the Eastern Cape, 842.
It has been foreseen that the staff numbers of the SAPS will stabilise at about 120E000, although the required strength is 127E000.
“The shortage will be managed over the next four to five years by increasing the number with approximately 7E000, most of which will be entry-level personnel.”
The SAPS will be able to address approximately 25% of its personnel shortages, 22% of its vehicle shortages and 50% of its equipment shortages during the current financial year, Tshwete said.
Matthee said the NNP welcomes the fact that the government has now for the first time given details of the shortages being experienced by the SAPS and “now also for the first time admitted that the fight against crime is being hampered by such shortages. In the light of the totally unacceptably high levels of crime in South Africa, the disastrous effect thereof on our economy and the lives of all our citizens, we cannot accept that the shortages in trained personnel and equipment can only be addressed over periods of four to five and three to four years respectively. Government should regard the safety and security of its citizens as its most fundamental duty and it should therefore immediately find the money to address the said shortages within the current financial year,” Matthee said.